Back
by Afug
Summary: [Oneshot] I don't like the title of this one... Forced to leave, seemingly forever. When she comes back, will she be able to find him? [IchiXRuki] Please R&R!


Ahh, well. I'm going to try and write another oneshot. Hopefully you'll like this one more. Well, I'm not going to rant about my current life or anything so I'll just get to it. Remember to read and review! Thankies!

"Ichigo!" a girl called in the distance.

Rukia quickly ran in that direction, a smile playing at her lips. She had left for Soul Society two years earlier. She had not come back since then. Also, she had not seen Ichigo for two years. She was curious in the changes in him. How much he's grown, how much his attitude had changed (hopefully), how much more stronger he had gotten, things like that.

She was grinning like an idiot. She didn't care if she was getting weird looks. She was so anxious and excited. Her steps slowed down.

What happens if he moved on? What happens if he didn't remember her? Would he forgive her for leaving? Hundreds of questions swirled in her mind. None of that even mattered. She was going to see him again. Her steps once again quickened as she ran to where she had heard his name being called.

_They sat in an uncomfortable silence. Rukia kept on opening her mouth then closing it, as if debating whether or not to say something._

_"Rukia, you're starting to look like a fish. If you have something to say, spit it out," Ichigo demanded, getting irritated._

_"Shut up," Rukia snapped. This was hard. How would she tell him? She knew once she did, he would fly off the handle._

_"What's up with you anyway. You've been acting even stranger than usual today," Ichigo pointed out. He turned fully in her direction on his bed. She sat on the dresser, seemingly finding the floor very interesting. She looked up and gave him a glare before looking back down._

_"..."_

_"Whatever. If you don't want to speak then I'm going to bed," he said with an agitated tone._

_Rukia didn't say a word as she watched him lay down under his blankets with a huff. She knew that she should have said something, but it was so hard._

_She sat there watching Ichigo slowly falling asleep. Slowly his breathing evened out and she could hear a light snoring coming or his shadowed form. She waited a few more minutes before quietly jumping off the dresser. She tiptoed to his side._

_She lowered herself to her knees. She could clearly see his bright orange hair despite the dark in the room, although it was now a light brownish colour. She resisted running her hands through his hair._

_She had to say goodbye. Soul Society had ordered her to stay in Seireitei from now on. They thought she spent too much time as is in the Living World. Sure Ichigo had defeated Aizen and the Arrancar a year previous to the day, but it had also been months since she had even set foot in Soul Society. She missed her friends and her brother. Sure, Renji and a few others came to visit her once and a while, but she felt guilty. She should be the one visiting them in Soul Society, not the other way around._

_So they ordered her to stay in Soul Society. Sure she had been shocked at first, but she couldn't disobey them. She had reluctantly agreed. They told her that she had a week to say goodbye. _

_A week had past, and she had not breathed a word of goodbye. She didn't want everyone to be upset over her sake. She didn't want them to be all gloomy in her last week there. Now she **had **to say goodbye. But he was sleeping and she didn't want to wake him up. And saying goodbye was so hard._

_She went through her different options. She could wake Ichigo up to say it, but she probably would freeze again and cause him to be angry. Or she could leave a note like she had before. But he could take it like the first time she had left him a note._

_She thought back to the first time Renji and Byakuya had come to take her back to Soul Society. Ichigo had come to rescue her, even though he wasn't near strong enough to effectively save her. He had almost died that night, because of her. Then he came to Soul Society, almost dying several more times. He had saved her._

_In Hueco Mundo, he was the first person to reach her after her fight with the 9th Arrancar. He brought along little Nell, who had drooled all over her. Sure it was disgusting, but her wounds were healed in about an hour. She remembered him walking in, looking almost as weak as she did. He told her that he had just fought with Grimmjow and won. She wondered how he had managed to win against him. He explained about the Vaizard and how he could call upon his Hollow abilities at any given time._

_He had saved her..._

_He deserved something, a goodbye. She moved closer and shook his shoulder lightly. She heard him groan and turn away from her. She smiled lightly as she shook him again with a little more force. He shook her hand off of his shoulder._

_Damn, how could someone be in that deep of a sleep so quickly?_

_Getting more and more frustrated by the second she moved her hands back to shake him violently._

_"Rukia," a deep voice interrupted her attack._

_She jumped when the voice cut through the silence. She turned around quickly and saw her brother standing there._

_"Brother," she breathed out._

_"It's time. You must leave this world," he spoke in his usual cold tone._

_"Yes," she said standing up. She glanced back down at Ichigo. Looking back up at her brother, he nodded in understanding._

_"I will wait outside," he said as he left the room._

_Rukia lowered herself back down to Ichigo's level. She examined his face for a moment, as if memorising his every feature._

_"Ichigo," she hissed out as she shook his shoulder again._

_"What?" she heard him growl out._

_"Ichigo," she said stopping her shaking._

_He hoisted himself up with his elbows and turned to her. He opened his eyes and found their faces inches apart. He stayed like that for a moment before it clicked. He let out a startled yelp and pulled away._

_Rukia blushed and folded her hands in her lap._

_Ichigo stared at her expectantly with sleepy eyes. "Well? What's you want?" he slurred out._

_Rukia glanced up at him. Damn it. I can't speak again. This isn't like me. Just spit it out._

_"If you're gonna to do this again, I'm going back to sleep," he said turning back around. He was stopped by Rukia's hand on his arm. He looked back at her in annoyance. His eyes softened when he looked at her troubled face. He sat up fully. _

_He slid over, allowing Rukia to sit on the edge of his bed beside him. She did even if he hadn't spoken a word._

_"Rukia?" he asked, looking at her with worried curiosity._

_"Ichigo," she said with a pause before she continued, "I have to go."_

_"Where?" he said, hanging onto every word._

_"Back to Soul Society," she said looking down at her lap._

_"For how long?" he said leaning closer to her._

_She paused. This had Ichigo worried._

_"Rukia, for how long?" he asked with a more forceful tone._

_He heard a light sniff come from Rukia's form. "Forever," she whispered._

_Ichigo stared for a few moments then fell back on his bed. He put his hands to his face and rubbed his eyes roughly._

_"I have to be dreaming," he mumbled._

_Rukia watched him pinch himself. She almost smiled when he let out a small yelp of pain._

_Rukia didn't speak another word._

_"Rukia," Ichigo said quietly. "You're lying right? You have to be."_

_She couldn't trust her voice so she just shook her head._

_"Why?" he asked in a hurt tone. "Did I do something?"_

_"No!" she exclaimed in shock. "It's got nothing to do with you!"_

_"Then why?" he asked again._

_"Soul Society thinks I've been spending too much time here," she explained._

_"Oh," Ichigo said as if he understood, but he didn't._

_Rukia went to stand up but was pulled back down. Ichigo pulled her toward him. He placed his lips on hers softly. She didn't respond at first, but soon complied. It wasn't an intense kiss. More soft and sweet. Rukia pulled back after a few moments._

_"Ichigo," she breathed out, touching her lips softly._

_"Rukia please don't go," he pleaded; his golden brown eyes focused on her own violet ones._

_Rukia held back tears. That settled it. She was in love with him. She couldn't say it. She couldn't say goodbye._

_"Rukia," came from the window._

_Ichigo snapped his attention to the window where he saw Byakuya staring at him. He let out a terrified yell as he ran for his Substitute Shinigami badge. Byakuya appeared between him and his dresser._

_"I haven't come to kill you," he said with narrowed eyes. He redirected his attention at Rukia, who seemed to have frozen on the spot. "Rukia, we must take our leave."_

_Ichigo watched in horror as the two walked into the doors that led to Soul Society._

_"Rukia," he said aloud._

_She didn't turn back like she had the first time. It was too hard. Looking at him again would make it even harder. So she didn't look back._

_Ichigo watched as the doors closed._

_"Rukia," he whispered into the lonely darkness of his room. "I love you."_

Soul Society had decided to let Rukia come and visit her friends in the Living World for a few months. She was overjoyed when they had told her that she was allowed to return.

Rukia ran around a corner hopefully. She saw a girl hanging off a shorter guy. He had brown hair and a chubby build.

"Ichigo, gimme that ice cream cone!" the little girl wined as he held it out of her reach. He was laughing like a maniac.

That was definitely _not_ Ichigo.

Rukia turned around, her shoulders hanging. She had been so excited, only to find someone that had the same first name as Ichigo.

Walking away, she wandered the streets sadly. Suddenly she slapped her forehead. She was such an idiot. She could just go to his house!

With newfound energy, she ran in the direction of the Kurosaki Clinic. As she approached, she could feel the butterflies in her stomach begin to flutter around wildly.

"Kurosaki!" she heard come from the nearby park. She decided that maybe the family was at the park. She stopped once in the park and scanned all the occupants. She spotted Isshin, Yuzu and Karin standing near each other. It looked like Yuzu was begging Karin not to hurt their father. Sure enough, Isshin got a punch with to the face. She watched as he fell to the ground dramatically, calling to his late wife. Rukia smiled softly. The family hadn't changed.

While she was thinking, Yuzu had apparently noticed her being there. She heard her yell her name. Snapping out of it she felt the smaller girl attach herself to her stomach. Karin ran up too, giving her a small hug herself. Isshin didn't hesitate to capture her in a deadly hug. Rukia felt as if her head would explode. Finally, Yuzu yelled at her dad that it looked like Rukia's head would pop off at any second.

He stood back, hands on her shoulders, as he examined her. Rukia felt slightly uncomfortable at his intense gaze.

"Ahh, Rukia. My third daughter has returned!" he said joyfully. He pulled out a poster of Masaki and started to talk to it joyfully.

"Rukia! Are you moving back here from Canada?" Yuzu asked.

Rukia assumed that that was what Ichigo had told them about her sudden disappearance.

"Uhh...y-yeah. But only for a few months," she said rubbing the back of her head.

"Ichigo will be so happy! He's been so down since you left," Yuzu said happily.

Rukia's eyes grew wide when she told her that. Ichigo missed her? He had been upset? She had been sure that he would hate her.

"You know where he is?" Rukia asked, hopeful.

"He's supposed to be at the school with Keigo and Mizuiro. They got into some trouble a while ago and they are being forced to clean the school yard," Yuzu said thoughtfully. She finished with a smile.

"Okay thank you!" Rukia said running off.

She heard Isshin yell out behind her, "You're still welcome in our home, Rukia!"

She looked behind her and waved a thank you.

Finally arriving at the school and began her search. She rounded a corner when she heard Keigo call out, "Yo, Kurosaki!"

Rukia took a deep breath. She didn't want him to see her for the first time like this. Her dress was ruffled up and messy, like her hair. She was panting heavily from her long run. Once she caught her breath she rounded the corner. She saw Keigo and Mizuiro with a tall guy. His hair wasn't orange, it was black. He was tall, like Ichigo. He seemed to have a strong build, like Ichigo. He almost looked exactly like Ichigo. She walked up to them slowly, a large smile plastered on her face.

Keigo was the first one to notice her.

"Rukiaaaa!!" he yelled out as he leaped at her. Mizuiro also came up and gave her a friendly hug. Rukia glanced over at the black-haired guy. She stared for a few moments, then her shoulders dropped. A downcast look appeared on her face. It wasn't Ichigo.

"What's wrong, Rukia?" Mizuiro asked politely at her sudden depressed nature.

"It's nothing," she said walking away. "It was nice seeing you guys again."

She didn't bother asking if they knew where Ichigo was. _Somebody_ up there didn't want her to find him. She glared up to the clouds in the sky. She walked around the school's property. Nothing seemed to have changed. The track field was the same. The only thing that was new was the newly painted lines for the soccer field. She wandered to her favourite tree. It was the tree where the girls used to eat lunch. No one was there now since it was a Saturday.

She sat down quietly on the grass. She watched the grass blow softly in the wind. Pulling her knees close to her, she brushed her hand over the tips of the green ocean. She picked a piece out of the ground and lifted it so it was in front of her face. She examined its twists and curves. She thought back to that last night she had seen him. She wondered if she would ever get to see him again.

The grass crunched behind her. She was snapped back to reality and turned to see who else was there. She froze.

"Rukia?" the figure whispered, staring at her curiously.

There he stood, mere feet away from her. His brilliant orange hair seemed even brighter in the sunlight. His deep golden brown eyes focused on her figure. He blinked a few times as if trying to wake up from a dream. He was taller. His muscled build hadn't changed. His face seemed more mature, his voice deeper. But it was him.

"Ichigo," she whispered back. She stood up slowly, taking a shaky step toward him.

He completed the gap between them, enveloping her in a tight hug. She wrapped her arms around his upper waist, since that was all she could reach to.

"You've grown," Rukia commented, still hugging him.

Ichigo let out a laugh, "You haven't."

Rukia pulled back and punched him lightly.

"How long are you staying?" he asked her, eyes suddenly growing sad.

Rukia smiled lightly, as if reassuring him. "A few months. Soul Society told me that I can continue coming here as long as I check in every few weeks."

Ichigo smiled warmly.

He had changed. He wasn't that cold, depressing guy anymore. He seemed happier, more free. Even his frown, which was still there, has lightened. And he was smiling. A genuine smile. Something she didn't see too much of before.

He stood there, staring at her as if she would disappear any moment. Rukia stood on her tiptoe-toes and pulled him down the rest of the way. She placed her lips on his in a sweet, but intense kiss.

A laugh was heard in the distance. They parted quickly and turned to see what had disturbed them.

Of course. It was Keigo, followed by a calm but surprised looking Mizuiro.

"I knew it! I knew it!" Keigo said pointing accusingly at the two. "What'd I tell you Mizuiro! I knew that they would end up together!"

"Yes, Asano. You were right," Mizuiro said smiling at the couple. "Welcome back, Rukia," he said kindly.

"Thank you," she said, bowing slightly.

"Ahh Ichigo, my best friend," Keigo said walking up and slapping Ichigo on the back. "Finally, you've found a girl. I was beginning to think that you were ga--"

Keigo was cut off by a swift punch to the face. Ichigo was fuming, eyes twitching. An unhappy frown was taking over his face, as he was about to kill his friend.

"We're not best friends," he said, crossing his arms, still twitching dangerously.

Rukia watched him as he cussed out Keigo. She laughed.

"What're you laughing at, midget?" he snapped.

Now it was Rukia's turn to twitch. "I'm not a midget. It's just you won't stop growing!"

Nope. He had not changed much at all.

Ahh, I liked this one. The ending could've been better, but oh well. I hope people like this one better then the others. I have trouble explaining and describing certain scenarios. My vocab isn't very big, so I'm sitting here with a dictionary/thesaurus on my lap. Kind sad, but I am getting a little better. Yeah, yeah I know. Some of them are very OOC but I'm still no good at making them actually in character. Oh well.

Please review! Thanks!

Eva-miko


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